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Friday, May 8, 2015

Consumer Critique: The Joy of Mom

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

As a mother, it can be too easy to get dragged down into the drudgery of child-rearing duties. All too often, I find myself going through the motions or not focusing on my children the way I should while balancing competing priorities.

This Mother's Day, it's a good day to reflect on the joys of being a mother. In The Joy of Mom: Celebrating a Mother's Love (also available on Mother's Day at Barnes & Noble), Vicki Reece, blogger at Joy of Mom, collects quotes, lyrics, and poems, pairing them up with beautifully appropriate images for an inspirational collection that is perfect for moms in all stages of motherhood. I had a chance to interview her to learn more.

What was the inspiration behind the book?

The beauty, joy and magic of motherhood was my inspiration. I looked
for the simple, small, yet absolutely significant moments that are the
most precious moments of being a mom. I wanted to capture the essence
and love of motherhood in a special book that would make moms everywhere
pause, hug their children a bit tighter, slow down and become really
present in the moment. I’ve lived with the “woulda, should coulda, if only” moments
as a working mom being pulled in a million directions. All of us are
busy as we try to manage it all. Moms are the masters of multi-tasking.
There is a price we pay for being stretched in so many directions. I
want moms to shift into a slower gear and really focus on the ahhhh. My book, “The Joy of Mom: Celebrating A Mother’s Love” is about finding that ahhhh. It’s also a gift that reminds all mothers to savor the moments that are here right now and those to come.

What did you hope to capture with the words and images?

Every image and each moment is real. These are real families living
real moments. And the words just seemed to flow through me, as if they
were meant to be together to complete a moment and tell a story of
motherhood on each page. I had been curating the most beautiful and
moving photographers from around the world for the past four years. Each
one is of a mom. Each one has a story (as we all do!). You feel it in
every image and on every page. I hope moms resonate with each image and
message and that it reminds them about how precious and special these
moments are as they pass way too quickly.

What's the best piece of mommy advice you've ever gotten?

I love to share a few:

* Love your children unconditionally.

* Be ever-so-present with them. Your time and intention will be two of the biggest things that shape their life.

* Teach, model and inspire the importance of believing in themselves. To owning their voice and never losing it.